Strength
by Omni Storyteller
Summary: Her partner had taken another attack for her, but this time was different. She felt different. Rage, righteous fury, and something more… powerful surged within her, desperate to be released. And Ladybug wasn't sure she could do anything to stop it.
1. Surge

**Disclaimer: Anything within the MLB universe and the universe itself does not belong to me, but to Thomas Astruc.**

 **Thank you to all who have read my one-shot** ** _Like Yours Must Have Been_** **! It was a blast to write. :)**

 **This is part one of a mini-series I'm planning on writing (if I ever get to it, haha) while we endure through this hiatus. I'm new to the multi-chapter thing, so please bear with me. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Chat Noir, the hairpin! The Akuma must be in there! Try to get it!"

"On it, My Lady!"

The feline hero charged at the villain called Metallica, whose gray and white suit was covered with different types of metal on her arms and legs. A metallurgist who wanted to put her knowledge into crafting a meaningful sculpture from a dense alloy, she was criticized harshly — and quite immaturely — for the artwork in which she had put her heart and soul. Vulnerable, Papillon had taken advantage of her distress, sending an Akuma to possess a metal hairpin crafted by her hand, and transformed her.

The heroes were alerted to the villainess's rampage as they noticed metal structures throughout the city were turned into bizarre pieces of art, including some of the foundations that supported buildings and architecture. After first confronting her, they were assaulted by walking giants of iron, nearly skewered by large javelins of bronze, and almost caught up in a stampede of lead bulls. All of it left destruction in their wake, but thankfully, no one was harmed.

They had now taken the fight to the top of the Eiffel Tower, where Metallica vowed to turn the entire monument into a real masterpiece.

Metallica glared at the lunging hero before waving her arm to the side. A slab of stainless steel knocked Chat Noir aside before he could reach her, sending him sprawling onto the platform. She looked up as Ladybug jumped at her from above, yo-yo spinning.

The villainess growled in annoyance before shooting a half-ring of copper at her, causing Ladybug to shield herself upon impact as she was pushed back a good distance away. Both heroes stood and readied themselves again, but neither of them attacked.

Metallica gave a scoff as she set her hands on her hips. "You call yourselves heroes? You can't even get _near_ me!"

A bright pink outline of a butterfly suddenly lit up her face, drawing her attention elsewhere. Ladybug used the chance to throw her yo-yo upwards, calling on Lucky Charm. A swarm of red energy gathered in the air before dissipating, and into her hands fell a wrapped length of rubber tubing that was red with black spots.

"Uh…" Ladybug quickly looked up and scanned the tower, her gaze highlighting Metallica, then the support of the radio antenna. However, those few seconds of thinking left her distracted.

"Ladybug, _look out_!"

The red-clad heroine was suddenly shoved aside, the force causing her feet to leave the ground as her body crashed onto the platform and rolled. She finally came to a stop against the fencing and pushed herself up, trying to regain her bearings. She gasped when she looked up, her eyes widening in shock.

Her partner, sandwiched in between two slabs of iron and hovering a few inches off the platform, was struggling to escape the trap while using his baton to keep himself from being squeezed to death. An evil laugh sounded as Metallica came up beside the sight, an amused glint in her eyes.

"Well, isn't that cute? The kitty went and saved his bug…" She held up a hand and squeezed her fingers into a fist. The slabs pushed themselves tighter against Chat Noir, causing him to gasp for air. "… but who's going to save him?"

"Let him go!" Ladybug demanded as she climbed to her feet. Anger and fear for her partner burned within her, her eyes narrowing, teeth gritting, and fists clenching at her sides.

Metallica laughed again, a smug smile on her face. "Sure thing. But first, you're going to hand over your Miraculous. If not…" She rotated her wrist, the slabs doing the same. Chat Noir let out a yelp. "… You should say goodbye to your precious cat while he can still breathe."

"D-Don't worry about me… buginette…" The black-clad hero managed to give her a weak grin, but the increasing pressure of the slabs cut it off. "Just... get... the Akuma!"

Ladybug put a hand to her ear, covering her earring protectively as she considered her options. The situation had changed, her initial plan could not be carried out, and her partner's life was now on the line. She scolded herself harshly at the fact that she had let her guard down, and Chat Noir was now paying the price.

How many times was that now? How many times did her silly partner take the hit for her when she was in danger? How many times did he protect her when she was unable to protect herself?

It pained her with guilt and sorrow. She trusted Chat with her life, and he delivered many times over. But could he truly trust her to do the same?

The anger within her started to boil, anger at Metallica and anger at herself. It spiraled deeper than she could handle.

"Well, Ladybug?" Metallica prompted, another pained cry from her partner only causing her fury to increase. "What's it gonna be?"

Metallica — no, Papillon was really pushing it now. She was tired of him taking advantage of many innocents' negative emotions, tired of him manipulating them like puppets to get what he wanted, tired of her partner being used against her when it could have been prevented.

She was _tired of it!_

With her emotions at their peak, she felt something within her suddenly break through. As if a dam that had been holding back a raging river was finally destroyed from the pressure. It flowed throughout her body in a rush of energy, and she let it, allowing the same energy to build in her hands.

Switching entirely from logic to instinct, Ladybug's gaze snapped up furiously at Metallica, just as flecks of red, black, and _pink?_ energy bursted into existence around her hands.

And in one move that was so _unlike_ Ladybug, she charged directly at the villainess.

Metallica flinched at the sudden attack and reflexively took a step back in alarm. Was this really the same Ladybug who thought rationally before taking action? "H-Hey, what do you think you're—!"

Realizing she wasn't stopping, Metallica shot her free hand forward in a panic, sending another slab of steel flying towards the heroine.

Without even pausing, Ladybug merely caught the edge of it and _crumpled_ it in her hands like a sheet of paper, even tossing it aside like one. She pounced like a lion on its prey, tackling Metallica to the platform and breaking her concentration over the slabs. Chat Noir was left to fall to the floor, gasping loudly as he breathed in deeply, fresh air filling his lungs.

With one arm pinned, Metallica quickly covered her free lower arm with gold before launching it at Ladybug, attempting to knock her off. But Ladybug was surprisingly quicker. She caught the incoming blow with her own hand and squeezed, the metal crinkling and creaking under her fingers.

The villainess looked at her in shock, unable to fathom that anyone could just wrinkle _gold_ with their bare hands. But she was experiencing it firsthand — and it was relentless.

Ladybug continued to squeeze the metal until it began to constrict the villainess's fingers. Metallica yelped as the sharp, concave dents forming in the armor began to dig into her digits.

"Okay, okay!" she cried out, kicking her legs out helplessly. "I give! I surrender! _Please,_ Ladybug!"

The heroine flinched at the sound of her name, as if snapping out of a trance. Blinking twice, realization dawned on her, and she immediately released Metallica's hand. She stared fearfully at her own hands then down at Metallica in bewilderment. Something akin to hesitation flashed across her face before she reached out and shakily unclasped the metal hairpin. She then quickly retreated and stood up, throwing the cursed item so hard on the platform that it broke, prompting a black butterfly to flutter out.

"Y-You've caused enough harm, little Akuma," Ladybug stuttered out without her usual confidence as she opened her yo-yo. She swiftly swung it out, catching the Akuma within its light before it closed again. "… Gotcha."

"Bye-bye… little butterfly," she muttered, barely above a whisper, as she let the now-normal butterfly flutter off into the night.

With a second glance at her hands, Ladybug gingerly watched the flecks of energy that danced around her fingers disappear before closing them into her palm. She then silently walked over to the unused tubing that had been discarded when she was shoved, and carefully picked it up.

She couldn't bring herself to yell out the cure as she threw the item into the air, but it did its job regardless. A swarm of ladybugs formed in the air and spread out to sweep across the city, restoring all metal structures and fixing all the damage. It made a final sweep of the tower, wiping away all the discarded metal procured in the battle. A black mist swept over Metallica's form, reverting her back to the woman before Papillon's influence.

"Chat Noir, are you okay?" Ladybug asked in concern as she approached her partner, who was sitting with his legs crossed and rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, I'm _paw_ -sitively fine," he answered with a small grin, showing no indication that he had witnessed her unusually impulsive behavior. "That was quite an _airy_ situation I got myself into, huh? Wouldn't _hold my breath_ on it not happening again."

To his surprise, she gave a mellow scoff instead of groaning like she usually did. She then paused to examine her hand closely before holding it out to him.

"You sure you've got nine lives?" she teased as he put his hand in hers, although it sounded somewhat forced. She even avoided grabbing his hand back as she helped him to his feet.

A warning beep suddenly sounded from her earrings, surprising them both and cutting off his response. Instead, he looked towards the de-akumatized woman, who was looking around, dazed and confused.

"Go on, My Lady," he said, pushing her gently by the shoulder as he stepped past her. "You're running out of time. I'll take care of our victim."

"Are you sure…?" Ladybug trailed off, uncertain, which surprised Chat even more.

He held up a fist, flashing her his best, reassuring signature grin. "A job well done, My Lady."

To his dismay, she only stared at his hand strangely, as if it was a foreign object. That unsure expression never left her face as she stared down at her hands once more, almost like she was expecting them to sprout warts.

When she glanced up at him again, her face was replaced with her usual confidence, and she finally brought her fist up to meet his own. "Yeah. Thanks, Chat. Take good care of her, okay?"

Chat Noir put a fist to his chest in a dutiful salute. "You can count on me, Ladybug!"

The heroine smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah. I know I can. See you around, partner."

With a final wave, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo at an anchor of the nearest building before swinging away, leaving a worried Chat Noir staring after her.

* * *

 **;)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Adjust

**Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

 **Here's the second chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"What happened back there, Tikki?" Marinette asked as she looked down at her hands for what was the thirtieth time that night. She de-transformed just as she had dropped down into her room, immediately dragging herself over to her chaise and promptly collapsing on it. She had stayed there ever since, trying to comprehend the unexpected events that had occurred during the fight.

Her Kwami could only watch in concern as she sat up and wrung her hands together nervously. "Somehow, I was able to keep it together back there, but I'm really freaking out here. I-I don't even— I'm still trying to figure out what— what was that, Tikki? What did I just _do_?"

Marinette's hands moved from wringing her wrists to rubbing her forearms, as if trying to ward off an imaginary chill in the air. "I nearly took her hand! I was _crushing_ the metal around her hand like it was paper! And it's like my body had a mind of its own! I-I was just—I felt _so_ angry that I didn't think, I-I just… did…"

A chilling thought came to mind, and Marinette shuddered. "Would… would I have stopped if she hadn't called out to me?"

"Of course you would have!" Tikki finally responded, zooming up to her face. "You were powered by your anger, Marinette, but it didn't take over completely. That prevented you from truly harming the victim."

"Then what just _happened_?" Marinette looked at her Kwami pleadingly. "How did I get that strong all of a sudden? Did I always have that kind of power? Ever since I received the Miraculous?"

A pensive look crossed Tikki's face for a moment before she settled on Marinette's knee.

"It has been a while…" she began, "… a _long_ time, in fact, since that kind of power manifested in Ladybug."

Marinette eyes widened at her as the Kwami continued, "Actually, the only other time in which that power surfaced was during the time of the first Ladybug, and she was pretty in touch with her emotions too."

"W-What does that mean?" Marinette asked, still trying to understand.

"It means you're the second one who's proven to have a particularly strong connection with your emotional state," Tikki replied. "So strong that it allowed another aspect of Creation to surface."

What? Marinette briskly shook her head, not grasping any of it. "I just don't understand! Why me? Why _now_? What do you mean by 'another aspect of Creation'?"

Tikki shook her head apologetically. "Unfortunately, I can't answer your first two questions, Marinette. It just… is. You just are. And the inner workings of time are mysterious even to us Kwami. As for your last question, however… whenever the ladybug's earrings were entrusted to a new holder, there was a chance that that holder possessed certain qualities that allowed them to access a secondary aspect of Creation. Although, this doesn't hold true for every holder. After all, creation comes in many different forms, which varies for each holder that has those qualities."

She took to the air again as Marinette listened intently, trying to keep up. "The primary aspect of Creation is the one that all Ladybugs share: Material Creation. Lucky Charm. Objects produced to help aid you in reaching your goal, as you've used to your advantage many times, Marinette."

Tikki hovered close and nuzzled her forehead against the girl's. "I'm sorry for not telling you any of this firsthand. Honestly, I didn't expect you to manifest a secondary aspect, and I'm still not even sure what kind of aspect had surfaced after tonight's battle, but I promise you it's a good thing. More than good. You don't have to truly understand it in order to actually grasp it. But once you adjust and wholeheartedly accept it, it'll be as natural as breathing."

Marinette, who had been silently processing everything, reached up and took the Kwami into her hands.

"I'm not angry at you for not telling me, Tikki. I'm just… scared. What if… what if I go too far next time? What if I end up hurting someone close to me?" Marinette hunched over as she shivered. "My parents, Alya, Nino… Adrien… Chat Noir…"

"That won't happen!" Tikki reassured, patting her holder's thumb comfortingly before floating out of her palms. "I guarantee it, Marinette. Once you had time to adapt, that will be the last thing you'll have to worry about."

With a small sigh, the girl finally smiled and let herself fall back onto the chaise.

"I hope you're right, Tikki," Marinette whispered as she closed her eyes. "I _really_ hope you're right."

* * *

The next morning…

 _"Marinette! Are you coming down for breakfast, dear? You're going to be late for school again!"_

Marinette's eyes snapped open, and in a desperate scramble of panic to sit up, she fell unceremoniously off the chaise with a loud thud.

"C-Coming, Mom!" she called back as she rubbed her sore hip, Tikki giggling good-naturedly in the background.

A quick shower, change of fresh clothes, and family breakfast later, Marinette bid her parents a farewell as she left the bakery.

"Hey, Tikki," Marinette began as they waited at the crosswalk for the signal to turn green, nervousness lining her voice. Tikki poked her head out of the girl's purse, attentive. "Am I… the only one going through these changes? I mean, is the ladybug Miraculous the only one capable of these… aspects?"

"Well…" Tikki thought for a moment. "I do believe the black cat's ring behaves similarly, but instead of aspects, there are degrees of Destruction. However, the last time I witnessed that was in a partnership in the colonial era with that period's Chat Noir. And in that time, both Ladybug and Chat Noir had access to secondary abilities of their respective Miraculous. But I'm not quite sure about the others."

"And these secondary aspects are triggered by emotions?" Marinette verified to which Tikki nodded. "What… which emotions would trigger them?"

"That also varies," Tikki replied. "For those with the strong emotional connection, like you and the first Ladybug, it could be intense emotions like fear or anger."

Instant worry clenched at Marinette's heart, and it was clearly shown on her face.

"Marinette, don't worry! I don't think your secondary aspect was triggered by your anger alone. Maybe a mixture of anger and something else, but not just anger."

The girl let out a breath. The signal turned green. "I hope so. The last thing I need is something to peeve me off so bad that I blow up and start tossing cars around as well as other stuff that's twice my size. The last time I was that angry, someone got akumatized."

"Maybe not to that extent," Tikki amended as they walked across the street, earning a questioning gaze from her holder. "But during the period of adjustment, it's really important that you keep your emotions under control. Or else bursts of power will escape with every spike in emotion you feel."

"Huh? What do you mean, Tikki?" Marinette asked, even more confused now. However, the Kwami ducked back into the purse before she could answer, just as another voice spoke.

"Good morning, Marinette!"

The girl instantly froze, recognizing the voice. The voice she heard in her dreams every night.

She looked up, seeing Adrien step out of the sleek car that he was always driven around in. His golden hair bounced as he closed the door behind him, green eyes lighting up as they locked with hers. His bright smile never failed to make her legs feel like jello.

"A-A-Adrien!" she spluttered, her hands flailing around her face. "I-uh— g-good morrow— no, I-I mean, uh, g-good night— gah! I mean—"

Marinette yelped as she was suddenly forced aside, a certain blonde ponytail barreling past her towards the boy.

"Adrihoney!" Chloé cried as she practically jumped into the model's arms. "You're here! I've been waiting all morning for you!"

"Oh, er, you have?" Adrien gently pried himself away from her tight hold, taking a small step back without being offensive. Chloé just reattached herself to his arm.

"Oh, yes! And now that you're here, there's something I want to show you!"

Marinette could only watch with a pang of jealousy, as Adrien was dragged off by the mayor's daughter. Tikki popped her head back out of the purse, looking after them before looking up at her holder.

Her large blue eyes widened as she could practically see the air vibrate around her person, power escaping in waves. "Marinette…!"

The blue-eyed girl stared after the two blondes a minute longer before letting out a sigh, anger deflating immediately. And with it, Tikki could see the air settle back down as the waves disappeared.

"Tikki?" Marinette addressed her Kwami, who looked back at her in concern. "About that stuff you said about my emotions? I'm afraid that's going to be a lot easier said than done."

* * *

"Hey, girl! You're actually here today!" Alya greeted as Marinette took her seat beside the blogger.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Marinette replied with a nervous chuckle as she took out her tablet and books. "Nothing's keeping me away today."

And hopefully it would stay that way. At least, until after lunch.

A few minutes later, Chloé and Adrien — with the former still hanging on to his arm — walked into the classroom, the blonde girl giggling incessantly.

"Hey, did you notice Chloé's being a lot more clingy with Adrien today?" Alya asked in a low voice.

Marinette gave a small groan. "Yup. I had the pleasure of witnessing it firsthand when I arrived."

"Not surprising. After all—" The blogger turned her head behind them. "— you two got competition now."

Marinette followed her gaze up at Lila, who had also watched the two students walk into the classroom with a piercing glint in her eyes.

Competition, huh?

Guilt suddenly washed over Marinette like a tidal wave, reminding her of their rocky start.

 _"You were right. We'll never be friends!"_ It echoed off the walls of her mind unceasingly, bringing the consequences of her mistakes to the forefront.

Gentle prodding from her purse prompted the girl to snap out of her thoughts and look down. Her eyes widened and she gasped silently. Part of the seat on which her hand rested was cracking, a spiderweb pattern splaying out beneath her fingers.

Alarmed, Marinette quickly pulled her hand into her lap to clench her other hand, subtly scooting over to cover the damage. She then turned back to Alya and was surprised to see a look of scrutiny on her best friend's face.

"What's wrong, Alya?" she asked, confused, remembering the last time in which the Ladyblog founder looked at the new student with admiration.

"Looking back at that interview I got from her, some of the things she said didn't add up," Alya replied, turning to look at her. "Actually, some of her claims didn't match up with the facts I had at all. I think she made some of them up."

"Maybe" was all Marinette replied, wringing her hands. However, she let out a silent sigh of relief, glad that someone else was seeing through the deception. But she couldn't help but wonder why the brunette had to lie so much.

Her thoughts were disturbed once again as Chloé's laughter echoed in her ears. Irritation flaring, Marinette turned to glare at the haughty blonde, who was hogging Adrien at her desk. Her hands instinctively clenched tighter together underneath the table.

Power escaped with her agitation.

The whole desk bounced up, startling everyone in the classroom. Marinette and Alya both flinched and recoiled in surprise as their desk landed back on the floor in front of them with a loud clatter, their books and papers scattered along the floor.

It was dead silence for a moment or two. No one moved as their eyes never left the table, until Alya cautiously reached out and poked its surface.

"That… doesn't usually happen. Right?" she asked, her question hanging in the air.

No, it didn't, Marinette agreed. But it's not like she could admit to her best friend why.

At that moment, Madame Bustier walked in at the perfect time, her instructive teacher's voice reverting the classroom back to normal.

* * *

"Is _this_ what you meant, Tikki?" Marinette asked in lament, voice echoing throughout the empty bathroom, as she looked down at her hands fearfully.

Tikki could only look at her holder empathetically, having seen this type of reaction many times before. "Yes, Marinette. Every time you express a particular emotion at a high level, it serves as a temporary outlet for your secondary aspect. A small burst of power. Like how you felt towards Chloé before class started."

"So that _was_ me," Marinette sighed. "At least it was taken out on the desk."

"Because you really didn't want to hurt anybody," Tikki replied. "The secondary aspect does respond to emotions, but internal feelings influence its direction. If you really wanted to hurt somebody, you would have."

Marinette gave another sigh and let her head fall into her hands.

"Don't worry, Marinette!" Tikki reassured. "This is good! It means you're adjusting properly!"

"It certainly doesn't feel good," the girl grumbled. "How long does this period of adjustment last for, exactly?"

"A day or two, at most."

"Yay."

"… It's okay, Marinette. You can do this. You'll get through this, I promise."

"… I believe you, Tikki. And I really hope so."

"Good! Now, isn't it time to meet back up with Alya before lunch is over?"

"Right!" Marinette straightened up and gently patted the sides of her own face in renewed confidence.

As she walked out of the bathroom and into the courtyard, another sight caught her attention.

Across the courtyard, Chloé Bourgeois was holding the phone of another student out of reach, a smug smile on her face.

"Uh-oh. What's going on?" Tikki asked, peering out of her purse.

"Nothing good," Marinette replied gravely as she stalked over toward them. She could hear more of the conversation as she drew closer.

"…realize that if my father hears about this, you can be expelled from this school in the blink of an eye?" Chloé dangled the phone in her fingers tauntingly. "Now delete the pictures from your phone or consider this the last day you stand in this very courtyard."

Marinette fumed silently, swiftly reaching out and plucking the phone from the blonde's grasp.

"That's enough, Chloé," Marinette reprimanded, handing the phone out to its rightful owner. "Can't you act like a decent human being for once without bringing your 'power' as mayor's daughter into it?"

Chloé scoffed in indignation before her hand shot out and wrapped her fingers around the phone again, trying to wrench it from Marinette's grasp.

"No one asked you, _numbskull_ ," Chloé sneered, giving a hard jerk on the phone. "And if you don't butt out, I can have _you_ expelled too."

"You do nothing but bully others to get your way," Marinette retorted, yanking the phone back in her direction. "Compared to being on the receiving end of your antics, being expelled is a merciful punishment."

A growl tore from Chloé's throat. _"Let go of the phone!"_

"It's not _yours_!"

The girls were suddenly in a tug-of-war, trying to rip the phone out of the other's grasp. In that moment, something responded to Marinette's heightened emotions. Flecks of pink energy flickered around her fingers.

As Marinette gave another hard tug, the phone flew out of both their hands, leaving both of them to tumble to the ground. They both looked up in surprise as the phone sped towards an unintended target like a bullet.

Marinette's eyes widened in horror as it slammed into the cheek of Adrien Agreste with enough force to send him crashing to the ground.

* * *

 **O_O**

 **More Kwami interactions in Season 2, please!**


	3. Reject

**Thanks for reading, everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

 **Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

 **Let chapter 3 commence!**

* * *

Marinette couldn't even describe what she was feeling at that moment. She couldn't even _move_. A wave of numbness had swept over her body, disabling all connections to her limbs.

She had watched as Adrien crumpled to the ground in a heap. Watched as he sat up in a daze, a look of befuddlement and hurt in his eyes as he put a hand to his now-red cheek. Watched as he looked around before eyeing the phone on the ground next to him and picking it up in confusion.

The phone that had become a projectile as a result of a stupid tugging battle between her and Chloé Bourgeois.

What she was now feeling went deeper beyond guilt, beyond shame, and it clenched at her very soul.

She was mortified.

Adrien's questioning eyes made another sweep of the courtyard, until his gaze came to lock with hers. Marinette quickly closed her own eyes and bowed her head, unable to take the pressure his gaze held.

"Adrien, are you okay?!"

"What happened, dude?!"

Marinette looked up again as students began to flock to the model's side, the first of them being Lila and Nino. She watched as they helped him up and brushed the dirt off his shirt, handing him his book bag that had been dislodged from his shoulder when he fell.

Regaining some feeling back in her arms, Marinette unsteadily pushed herself up to sit on her legs, thinking that she couldn't feel any lower, until Chloé spoke up again.

Of course Chloé had to speak up again.

"Way to go, _Marinette_ ," Chloé jeered, loud enough to draw the attention of nearby students, including those surrounding Adrien and the boy himself. "The walking disaster zone strikes again."

Marinette turned to glare at Chloé, her throat a little too choked up to bite back a response.

"Wait, so the one who hurt Adrien was Marinette?" Lila asked, tone accusatory, as she stepped forward. With her question, the students began to mumble among themselves.

"Well, Marinette?" Chloé prompted, a smug smile on her face. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Marinette sighed. She felt so drained. She might as well agree so that the blonde could just leave her alone—

"No, it wasn't!"

All mumbling instantly ceased when the new voice spoke, and everyone looked in surprise to see the student whose phone Chloé had snagged in the first place come up beside Marinette.

"It wasn't her," the student declared with an air of shaky composure and confidence, bending down to help the blue-eyed girl up. "It was an accident. I had something important in my phone that she"— the student gestured towards Chloé —"wanted me to delete. And if I didn't comply, she would have had me expelled. Marinette was just trying to help me."

Marinette gave the student a grateful smile as she was pulled shakily to her feet, just now regaining the feeling in her legs. She regarded Chloé with her head held high, radiating confidence even though on the inside she currently felt like crumpling into a ball.

As everyone processed the student's account of the situation, the mumbling started up again, and everyone's stares slowly turned to the blonde.

Chloé's smug expression slowly fell as she realized her plan of publicly shaming Marinette had backfired, all thanks to the courage of a student she had wronged.

"Got anything to say, Chloé?" Alya's voice sounded. Marinette turned to see her best friend come up on her other side, her phone held up on video camera.

Chloé looked at the camera in surprise, before her face morphed into a mixture of anger and disgust.

"You're all ridiculous!" she finally spat, turning in a circle to address everyone. "Absolutely ridiculous!"

She then promptly spun on her heel and stomped out of the courtyard, Sabrina staggering out of the crowd of students to follow her.

With the drama coming to a close, everyone else went back to what they were doing.

"Come on, man. We should get your face looked at."

"I'm fine, Nino, really. It was just a bump."

"I'll believe that when the nurse says so, dude."

Marinette turned to see Nino escorting Adrien out of the courtyard to the nurse's office, the former sending a brief glance their way. She was unaware, however, of the neutral stare Lila was giving her before the brunette turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

Next to her, Alya returned Nino's glance with a hand held up in a sign of reassurance before turning to the student.

"I think this belongs to you," she said, holding out the phone that had been in Adrien's grasp earlier. He must have given it to Nino, who gave it to her in turn.

"Oh, thank you!" the student gushed, taking back the phone with a grateful bow of the head. "Thank you so much!"

The student then turned to Marinette with a look of admiration. "And thank you, Marinette! For sticking up for me! You're really strong!"

Marinette was taken aback by the compliment, unsure if it was in a good or bad way.

"N-Not really," she stammered out, finally finding her voice again.

"Really! Your courage is something to look up to! It's what inspired me to speak out against Chloé! _Thank you!_ "

The two girls could only look on in surprise as the student bid them goodbye before running off in another direction. Alya then smirked and lightly nudged Marinette's shoulder with her own.

"You're becoming the face of a revolution, girl!" she joked proudly.

Guilt suddenly squeezed Marinette's heart, as if to remind her it was still there, and she looked down at her hands dejectedly. "Guess so…"

"Hey, are you okay?" Alya's tone immediately turned concerned. She put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. It's just… nerves?" Marinette gave a weak grin.

Alya was unconvinced. "Marinette, Chloé failed in trying to frame you. That student did say it was an accident, right? Why are you worried?"

"…Because Adrien still got hurt." The words felt heavy on her tongue as she said them. That phone _shouldn't_ have flown out of their hands like that through normal means. But when magic was involved, nothing ever goes normally.

And that _did_ actually make it her fault.

Before Alya could even respond, Marinette took a step away, an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry, Alya. I, uh, gotta go to the bathroom. Again. I just need some time alone to sort out some… personal feelings. Could you tell the teacher that I might be late?"

Then she was gone before Alya could call out after her.

* * *

"That was _stupid_ of me. _So_ stupid."

"You were only standing up for what was right, Marinette," Tikki told her. "You couldn't have known that Adrien would get hit."

"No, but it was thanks to this… _aspect_ that he did!" Marinette looked down at her hands with a mixture of fear and disgust. "This was exactly what I was afraid of! I should've kept the phone away from Chloé somehow! Shouldn't have yanked on it so hard! And now Adrien is paying the price for it! _Adrien,_ of all people!"

She clenched her fingers tightly into fists. "This power has been nothing but trouble. It hasn't even been a full day yet, and I'm already tired of it!"

"Marinette, please give it time," Tikki begged. "Every Ladybug that manifested a secondary aspect has had a hard time during the adjustment period, just like you. Don't give up on it just yet."

Marinette looked up at the Kwami before looking away with a sigh, her hands falling to her sides. "I'm sorry, Tikki, but I don't want to see anyone else get hurt every time I express my emotions. As of right now, I don't want anymore to do with this aspect."

She looked up at Tikki again, eyes grave. "I don't _want_ it."

The moment the words exited her mouth, she suddenly felt cold. An unfamiliar type of cold that felt akin to empty. It spread throughout her body, all the way down to her toes, as if she were being dumped in ice.

Something within her was receding, withdrawing, and it left her bare. She felt it retire to where it came from, felt as it was sealed off behind an internal barrier.

Like a dam had rebuilt itself back up.

Marinette staggered slightly at the sudden feeling of loss, as if a part of her had been taken away. She looked up at Tikki, alarmed.

The Kwami had an unsettled look on her face before it turned into a look of sadness. "… It has respected your wishes."

Marinette's eyes creased but her mouth was set into a firm line, finality in her expression. She gave a solemn nod in response before she quickly turned to exit the bathroom, Tikki wordlessly diving back into her purse.

She had already missed half of the class, after all.

* * *

After school…

"Alya, I'd like to apologize to Adrien," Marinette proclaimed as they exited the classroom.

According to Nino, Adrien couldn't return to class. He had to stay in the infirmary since his cheek needed ice, and he couldn't exactly go home telling his father that his model son had got himself bruised.

Hearing the update had only made Marinette feel worse.

Alya turned to her in surprise.

Marinette's hand tightened around her backpack strap. "Even if it was an accident, I'd like to apologize… for getting him caught up in it all."

Alya suddenly reached out, wrapping her arms around her best friend's shoulders and pulling her into a hug. It took a moment for Marinette to register before she happily returned the gesture, feeling her warmth.

"You're amazing, girl. You know that, right?" Alya asked, pulling back to look at her.

Marinette smiled and gave a light-hearted eye-roll. "So you tell me."

Alya laughed and gently pushed her in the direction of the nurse's office. "Go get 'em, girl. Let me know how it goes later, okay?"

"Alya!"

The blogger only laughed again in response before waving goodbye and walking off, leaving Marinette on her own.

"All right then," Marinette muttered as she took a step towards the infirmary. "I can do this."

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Tikki asked as she popped her head out of her purse.

"Of course I do. Just drop by, check in, ask him how he's doing, and apologize," Marinette listed, bracing a hand on the infirmary door. "It should be that—"

She opened the door, stopping mid-sentence.

"—simple." The last word came out in a whisper.

Marinette quietly closed the door behind her as she walked into the room and nervously headed for Adrien — or rather, the silhouette of Adrien that she could see behind the green curtain situated between the two beds that made up one side of the infirmary.

She hesitated for a moment, then silently sat down on the other bed, gathering herself and rehearsing what she was going to say in her head.

She took a deep breath, willing her nerves to calm down. "A-Adrien?"

Nice stutter.

The silhouette's head jerked up. "Yes? Who's there?"

"I-It's M-Marinette." She took another breath. "I-I came to see h-how you were doing."

"Marinette?" She froze as she saw his fingers grip the edge of the curtain. And as he began to pull it back, her own hand shot out, her fingers tapping against his.

His hand stopped upon contact. Flustered, Marinette quickly withdrew her hand and clenched it tightly together with the other.

"C-Can we l-leave it like it is? Please?"

Silence for a moment. Then two. Then Adrien's fingers moved away from the curtain. "O-Okay."

Another awkward moment of silence passed.

"I-I've heard from Nino," Marinette began, fiddling with her fingers. "Is it… is it bad?"

"Yeah, but the nurse said it'll be better by the time I go home as long as I keep icing it."

"T-That's good." The guilt welled up again. "A-Adrien, I… I'm so sorry."

"Huh?" He clearly sounded confused. "What for?"

"F-For getting you hurt," she admitted, her mouth now moving from what she originally planned. "I-I know it was unintentional, b-but I should've been m-more careful, a-and now you're p-probably going to be here for a while, a-and also—!"

"Marinette," he cut in gently, the sound of her own name halting her. "There's no need to apologize."

She turned toward his silhouette, appalled. "B-But you were—!"

"In the wrong place, at the wrong time," Adrien finished with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it."

"… You're… you're really not mad?" she asked tentatively.

"No. To tell you the truth…" A pause. "… I actually wanted to speak out too. I wanted to agree with what that student said. I knew deep down that it was probably an accident, and the situation might have gotten a little out of hand. I wanted to say that I didn't blame you one bit."

Marinette felt her face grow hot, a light blush tinting her cheeks, but it was brief.

"But…" Another pause, as if he was taking the time to shrug. "… I guess that student has a lot more courage than I do."

Marinette was silent, trying to process his words. Once again, she was unable to decipher their ambiguity.

"Hey, Marinette?"

His voice broke through her thoughts, and she looked up to see part of the curtain bulging outward, the shadow of his hand pressing against it.

Slowly and without thinking, Marinette raised her hand to meet his own, matching her fingers with his and feeling the pressure of his palm as she pressed back against the curtain. She blushed again, as she could feel the warmth of his hand even with the piece of drapery between them.

"… _Thank you_ ," he said at last, his voice full of sincerity.

It was Marinette's turn to be confused. "W-What for?"

"For coming here." The smile could be heard in his voice. "I'm really glad you came to see me."

It was then that Marinette gave her first true smile of the day.

"So am I."

* * *

Marinette flopped onto her bed, exhausted.

"I was thanked a lot today," she mused, her mind going over the day's events. She was suddenly reminded of the presence of the internal barrier that held back the power she had rejected, but she quickly pushed it away. "Even though I didn't really do anything…"

"That's not true, Marinette!" Tikki hovered over her. "You did a lot, even if you weren't aware of it! That student was right in saying your courage was something to look up to. You've saved the city many times with it, after all!"

The girl gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Tikki. Now if I can just continue my courageous attitude through my homework, my day will be complete. I just hope that nothing happens before I can start—"

 _"FIGHT MEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

The sudden sound of the battle cry that reverberated harshly in her ears and shook the very streets of Paris said otherwise.

* * *

 **I'll leave what the student is like up to your imagination :3**

 **Sorry for these sporadic updates; if I'm inspired, I start writing and I don't stop ;)**


	4. Compromise

**Next part is up! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

* * *

A moment later, Ladybug stood on top of the bakery's rooftop patio, surveying the streets below with a mixture of shock and dismay.

Littering the sidewalks were people hunched over, kneeling on the cobblestones. Each of them was surrounded by a blue holographic, square-shaped barrier of some design, a virtual orange sign reading "Loser" displayed above their heads. Those who weren't surrounded by the barriers could only look on helplessly, unsure of what to do.

They didn't dare touch the barriers.

Dropping down from the roof, the heroine headed for the closest person for answers. However, upon attempting to reach over the barrier to make contact with the citizen, she felt a sudden jolt through her hand, prompting her to quickly withdraw it on reflex.

It was as if an invisible force prevented any aid.

"Excuse me," she called to the imprisoned citizen instead, "what happened to you?"

The citizen looked up at her, eyes full of defeat and exhaustion. "H-He challenged me. Us. To a duel. A battle of fists. B-But it was completely unfair! He's larger, he has more bulk, and he has experience! None of us could stand a chance! We were down for the count in seconds!"

"Who is 'he'?" Ladybug asked seriously.

"The Challenger. He picks a fight with anyone willing to stand up to him. Drags them into this… _arena_ " — the citizen gestured to the barrier — "where no one can help you. He uses his size and immense strength to his advantage. Plus, he has armor. Protection." The citizen shook his head briskly, as if he still couldn't believe it. "What kind of fight is _that_?"

"An unfair one," Ladybug replied, agreeing with his earlier claim.

"And if you lose to him, you'll be trapped inside these arenas forever!" The citizen's eyes turned pleading. "Please help us, Ladybug. It not only traps us, but it feels humiliating as well."

"Don't worry," the heroine reassured, standing up to her full height with confidence radiating from her posture. "Once I meet up with Chat Noir, we're going to confront this _Challenger_. We'll show _him_ that he's met his match."

With a bid of good luck from the citizen, Ladybug launched herself onto the rooftops, determination driving her every step.

* * *

 _"WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE THE CHALLENGER'S NEXT OPPONENT?"_

Adrien's head jerked up, taking the ice pack away from his almost-healed face as he turned towards the open window.

A loud _crash_ echoed through the air, followed by a chorus of terrified screams.

The boy immediately jumped off the bed, ice pack abandoned as he rushed to the window, eyes widening in surprise. He could see people running away from a burly man in a full-body black suit with a yellow belt tied around his waist, armor covering his arms and legs, and skin tinted a sickly orange color. Powerful gauntlets glinted in the sun as the man closed his fingers into fists.

The man gave a taunting grin. _"WHAT'S WRONG, PARISIANS? ARE NONE OF YOU STRONG ENOUGH TO FACE THE CHALLENGER? OR ARE YOU SCARED?"_

The surprise turned to seriousness on Adrien's face as he turned away from the window, opening the flap of his white blazer to let Plagg fly into the open.

"Plagg, transform me!" he exclaimed, brandishing his ring, silver turning to jet black. Green light briefly bathed the infirmary before fading to leave Chat Noir standing where Adrien once was.

The hero swiftly turned back towards the window, opening it wider and unlatching his baton. A piercing scream rang through his ears just as he was about to launch himself outside, swaying him to turn towards its direction in alert.

To his horror, a woman had tripped over a curb in her blind rush to get away, leaving her frantically scrambling backward as the Akumatized villain descended upon her with a wicked grin on his face.

 _"PERHAPS YOU WILL BY MY OPPONENT?"_ The Challenger inquired mockingly, advancing toward the woman at a deliberate snail's pace. _"DON'T WORRY. I WILL GO_ ** _VERY_** _EASY ON YOU. BUT_ ** _I_** _GET THE FIRST BLOW."_

The woman screamed in terror as the Challenger lifted his gauntlet above his head, clenching it tightly into a fist. In that moment, Chat Noir launched his baton like a javelin, his weapon embedding into the ground between the woman and the Challenger. He jumped after it a second later, landing directly between them in a protective crouch.

" _AH, CHAT NOIR. HOW NICE OF YOU TO JOIN US."_ The Challenger withdrew his large fist, an evil smirk twisting his face.

"Yeah, just thought I'd _drop_ in," Chat Noir replied, motioning for the woman to get away as he retrieved his baton, extending it and twirling it once before dropping into a defensive stance. "Can't have you going around attacking unarmed citizens, you know?"

 _"HOW VERY NOBLE OF YOU,"_ the Challenger mused, lightly knocking his fists together. _"DOES THIS MEAN YOU'LL BE MY OPPONENT?"_

"Sure." Chat Noir grinned. "But I have to warn you, I won't get _knocked out_ so easily!"

 _"EXCELLENT!"_

His fist came without warning. The feline hero narrowly dodged it with a surprised yelp before backflipping a safe distance away, the Challenger's punch creating a crater where he once stood. Chat Noir was stunned at how fast the villain moved, despite his size and the weight of the armor.

 _"C'MERE, YOU STRAY CAT! IT'S NOT MUCH OF A FIGHT IF YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY!"_ The Challenger was suddenly in front of him, fist flying towards the hero's face before he could even blink. Chat Noir instinctively brought his staff up in a diagonal block, gripping it tightly as the blow made contact.

The sheer force of it sent the hero skidding backwards for yards, his boots grating deeply through the cobblestones. He only managed to stop when he slammed the end of his staff into the ground as an anchor point.

"Whew, you pack quite a punch," Chat Noir commented as he regained his bearings. "But who said I was running?"

The hero launched himself into the air with his baton, using the momentum to propel himself in an overhead attack. He let out a cry as he descended upon the Challenger with his staff raised over his head, following through with all the strength he could muster.

The Challenger merely smirked as his hand flew up to catch the end of the baton, just before it could hit. Chat's eyes widened in horror as the villain laughed.

 _"HA! IS THAT ALL ONE OF THE GREAT HEROES OF PARIS CAN DO? YOU MAKE ME LAUGH!"_

Chat Noir was suddenly spinning, the Challenger swinging him around by his baton before hurling him away. The hero let out a long yell as he spiraled across the street, unable to right himself.

Just as he braced himself as the ground rushed up to meet him, a red yo-yo flew in, the wire wrapping around his waist before pulling him sideways. It swung him around a lamp post, allowing him to somersault back onto his feet. He looked up in relief to see his spotted partner drop down beside him as he steadied himself.

"You all right, kitty?" Ladybug asked as she withdrew her yo-yo.

"I'm _purr-_ fectly fine, My Lady. Thanks to you," he replied with his signature grin, earning a light groan and an eye-roll in response.

 _"SO THE FAMOUS LADYBUG HAS ARRIVED. I LOOK FORWARD TO DEFEATING YOU AS WELL! IT WILL BE A VICTORY TO RELISH IN!"_

The duo turned towards the villain, serious and unamused. Ladybug leaned towards Chat Noir, not taking her eyes off the evildoer.

"I'm guessing this is the Challenger?" she murmured.

"Yeah," her partner replied before looking at her curiously. "But how did you know that?"

"Some of the citizens had been unfortunate enough to wind up as his opponents. Had them imprisoned after defeating them." Ladybug got into a defensive stance. "We've got to find his Akuma and free them all. But until I can come up with a plan, _don't_ let him pull you into his arena."

"Arena?"

Ladybug suddenly pushed them both back before she could answer, just as a fist crashed into the ground where they once stood.

 _"LESS TALKING, MORE FIGHTING,"_ the Challenger bellowed, pointing a finger towards them. _"ONCE I DEFEAT YOU AND TAKE YOUR MIRACULOUSES, I'LL BE DEEMED CHAMPION OF THE MARTIAL ARTS WORLD! I'LL NEVER BE DEFEATED AGAIN!"_

"Looks like someone couldn't handle losing," Chat Noir mused as he casually laid his staff across the back of his shoulders. "You can't win all the time, you know."

 _"AH, BUT THAT WOULD APPLY TO HEROES LIKE YOU AS WELL, WOULDN'T IT?"_ The Challenger slammed his knuckles together, blue energy emanating between them as he slowly drew them apart. _"LET'S TEST THAT THEORY, SHALL WE?"_

Recognizing the blue energy, Ladybug immediately grabbed onto her partner's arm, trying to pull him backwards.

"Chat Noir, this is bad. We have to move back, quickly—"

The Challenger let out a cry as he sharply pulled his fists to either side of him, the blue energy that had built up exploding outward.

Ladybug suddenly found herself being forcefully shoved back as the energy spanned throughout the area, forming a larger version of the square-shaped ring that surrounded the defeated citizens.

The heroine had landed just a few feet away from where the border of the ring had stopped, and as she regained her bearings, she looked up and gasped in horror.

 _"Chat Noir!"_ she cried as she rushed at the border of the newly made arena, only to be stopped by the invisible wall that prevented interference.

Chat Noir, who hadn't moved from his spot since the arena had been made, was now contained within its area, looking around in confusion. He had thought that the arena's creation was a wide-area attack, which was why he had pushed Ladybug back on instinct.

"Chat Noir!" The hero swiveled around to stare at his partner, who was pounding frantically on the invisible wall.

"Don't stay there, _minou_! You have to get out! Get out of the arena _now_!"

The boy's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly glanced at the borders of the arena, before he darted for her. But just as he reached her, the same invisible force that kept her out was keeping him in, and it knocked him back a couple of steps when he made contact.

 _"THERE'S NO RUNNING NOW."_ The duo looked up at the Challenger, who was approaching them like a predator that cornered its prey. He knocked his knuckles together in a periodic rhythm, sparks of energy flying with each beat. A pink outline of a butterfly suddenly highlighted his face, enhancing the unnatural evil that twisted his features. _"SURRENDER YOUR MIRACULOUSES OR BE PREPARED TO FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!"_

"Never!" the duo shouted simultaneously, voices indignant.

 _"SO BE IT!"_ The villain smashed his fist into the ground for emphasis, causing a ring of smoke to billow. Due to the confinement of the arena, however, the smoke had nowhere to go but up, creating a blanket of dust to settle over the entire area of the arena.

"Chat Noir…" Ladybug said warningly, her hand pressed to the solid, invisible boundary that separated them.

The boy's arm suddenly shot up in the air, a ball of black energy building above his palm before he grasped it in his fist. "Cataclysm!"

However, in the time and space it took for the hero's hand to breach the border, something was suddenly flung in the path of the destructive energy. Both heroes could only gasp in dismay as Cataclysm disintegrated a plate of armor instead of the arena's border. They turned towards the source of laughter that erupted behind them.

 _"THERE IS_ ** _NO_** _ESCAPE,"_ the Challenger told them, the piece of armor that had been covering his right elbow now missing. _"YOU'RE IN MY TERRITORY NOW, LITTLE CAT."_

Gulping nervously, the boy looked back at his partner, his eyes unreadable for a moment, before his mouth broke out into a sheepish grin. His hand came up to match against hers and his eyes softened knowingly, a look that Ladybug knew all-too well.

"Chat Noir—"

"Do what you have to, _buginette_ ," he interjected calmly. "I'll hold him off for as long as I can."

" _Chaton,_ stop!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he turned around in time to block an attack launched by the Challenger. The force of the impact caused the ground to crack beneath them, and even she could see that it took all his strength to push the villain back as he threw himself fully into battle.

Ladybug wasted no time, her mind brimming with options as her eyes darted around for some sort of chink in the arena's barrier. She started running around its perimeter, her hand gliding across the invisible wall for any sort of weakness, all while carefully keeping her eyes on the fight that waged between her partner and the villain.

She came up empty-handed, however, as she could not even locate a possible trinket for the Akuma's possession on the villain's person. Chat Noir was depleting in strength as well, his arms shaking terribly with tremors as he blocked another of the Challenger's punches. The sounding beep that she could hear from his ring told her that he was also running out of time. She needed a plan _now_.

Grasping her yo-yo in her hand, she briefly squeezed her fingers tightly around its edge before throwing it up in the air. "Lucky Charm!"

Hoping for an object to help her past the barrier was in vain as a pair of handcuffs dropped into her palms.

"You've got to be kidding," she murmured, dangling the cuffs between her fingers, the rings seemingly a bit too large to fit around her own wrists. But she couldn't use them until she got _past_ the arena's defenses.

A sharp cry interrupted her thought process as she looked up to see Chat Noir being thrown to the ground, his staff discarded from his grasp.

"Chat Noir!" she cried as she watched him flip onto his back before backing up in fear, the Challenger slowly advancing upon him.

 _"HAHA! I MUST ADMIT, YOUR SKILLS AND PERSEVERANCE ARE QUITE ADMIRABLE,"_ the Challenger said, taking another step forward as the boy scooted another inch back. _"BUT IT'S APPARENT THAT YOU'RE NO MATCH FOR ME. I'LL BE TAKING YOUR MIRACULOUS NOW."_

Even while knocked down, Chat Noir gritted his teeth in determination as he rotated his body to protect the ring on his hand, using his feet to push himself back further.

All the while, Ladybug could only watch on helplessly, not knowing what to do for once. A range of emotions bubbled within her: fear, concern, anger… all for this silly partner of hers who had sacrificed himself for her once again.

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, the cuffs in one hand jingling as her fingers squeezed around the edges. As her emotions started to peak, she felt something stir behind the internal barrier she had mentally built up. She briskly shook her head, briefly denying the consideration of using that power.

However, it kept reacting to her emotions, stirring restlessly behind that barrier as if beckoning to her to allow it to offer its aid.

What other choice did she even have?

"Just this once," Ladybug finally sighed under her breath as she closed her eyes, reaching out to the barrier, willing it to come down.

"Please…" she whispered, desperately grasping for it. "Help me."

With her words, the dam came down on its own, allowing the torrent to come rushing through. The energy washed over her in a sense of familiarity, warmth, and strength, making her feel complete. As if she had regained a part of herself that she had lost.

A small smile crossing her face, Ladybug opened her eyes as renewed determination shined within them. The cuffs dropped from her hand as she clenched her fingers into fists, willing the energy to manifest into being.

The Challenger was now reaching down towards Chat Noir, who had no more room to back up and no means of defense, and was now bracing himself as his eyes shut tight. The villain's grin grew wider as the pink outline of a butterfly once again highlighted his face, so close to getting what _he_ wanted.

Taking a step back, the ground beneath the heroine's feet cracked under the power as she pushed herself forward, breaking through the arena's border.

 _CRUNCH!_

The Challenger's hand suddenly halted right before Chat Noir's face, prompting the hero to tentatively look up and gasp in surprise.

Ladybug stood to the side of the villain's arm, her fingers around his forearm and holding back his hand with ease.

The Challenger's eyes widened as he gaped at her in shock, utterly speechless, as she glared at him with an intensity in her eyes she normally didn't have.

"If it's a fight you want…" she began, the flecks of energy dancing sporadically around her hand as her fingers squeezed his arm tighter, denting and wrinkling the armor within her hold.

"… It's a fight you'll _get._ "

* * *

 **Happy Independence Day, everyone! :D**


	5. Accept

**Finale…**

 **Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

* * *

For a moment, everything seemed frozen in time. Chat Noir with his eyes wide and mouth agape in surprise; the Challenger in a similar fashion, only his expression was of disbelief and outrage; and Ladybug, who did not look the least bit amused as she held back the villain's arm with little effort. The only sign of movement between any one of them was the flecks of energy that danced around Ladybug's hands in a scattered rhythm.

Time started to move again when the heroine spoke. "So, about that victory you said you were going to relish in… that was a joke, wasn't it?"

The dry humor in the utter seriousness of her tone angered the Challenger, his teeth gritting harshly as his brows furrowed tightly. _"A PUNY BUG LIKE YOU COULDN'T HAVE SURPASSED MY POWER! MY ARENAS ARE IMPENETRABLE!"_

The villain tried with all his might to wrench his arm from her grasp, but Ladybug never budged. In fact, her fingers only grew tighter around his arm as a knowing smile graced her lips.

"This puny bug is _full_ of surprises," she retorted, just as the second warning beep sounded from her earrings, while it was the third beep for Chat Noir's ring. She needed to end this quick.

The outline of a butterfly briefly highlighted the Challenger's face, his eyes widening as Papillon spoke to him, demanding him to take the earrings. As the outline faded, fury burned in the villain's eyes once more, and he lunged for Ladybug's earlobe with his free arm.

Ladybug's free hand moved just as quickly, catching his wrist just as his fingers were mere inches away from one of her earrings. Her glare intensified.

"I don't think so," she growled, pulling both of his hands away from her and her partner's faces. "You're not getting your hands on our Miraculouses. And any threat to my partner is a threat to me!"

The eyes of the hero mentioned widened even more at this as the Challenger let out a yell of rage, his leg sharply swinging up towards the side of her torso.

But with the mere flick of the heroine's wrists, he was sent flying. His large body was a blur as he crashed through the wall of the arena, breaking it completely as the borders dissolved into blue pixels. He continued to speed through the air until he crashed into the side of a building in an explosion of smoke and brick.

Ladybug took the chance to glance back at her partner, who still sat speechless on the ground.

"Are… are you okay, _chaton_?" she asked awkwardly as she nervously hid her hands from his view. She knew she was going to have a lot of explaining to do later.

The trance-like awe on the hero's face disappeared as he snapped back to attention, her question registering in his head. But before he could even open his mouth to answer, a voice roared from within the smoke.

 _"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT, LADYBUG!"_

The heroes looked towards the cloud of dust just as it abruptly dispersed, revealing the Challenger barreling toward them in an angry rush, his gauntlets glowing an eerie orange.

To the normal eye, he would have been moving too fast to follow, but Ladybug anticipated his next move before he could even reach her. On cue, she gracefully backflipped away just as one of the Challenger's fists came hurling down on the spot where she once stood, sending debris flying everywhere and the orange halo around his hand vanishing upon impact.

As Ladybug righted herself, the Challenger charged again, this time readying his remaining glowing fist. The heroine took note of this as she stood her ground, her eyes narrowing contemplatively.

She wasn't going to dodge this time.

 _"Ladybug!"_ Chat Noir cried out as he watched the villain launch his fist towards the heroine's face, fear for his partner making his heart skip a beat.

In that same moment, Ladybug's right hand flew up.

 _BAM!_

His knuckles met the face of her palm with amazing force as her fingers curled tightly around his fist, the exertion of the impact causing the ground beneath them to crack. The fury in his glare only increased.

 _"YOU DESTROYED MY ARENA!"_ he seethed as he struggled against her grasp.

Ladybug merely shrugged. "I only leveled the playing field. Now it's a fight that appeals to both of our advantages."

 _"I AM THE GREATEST FIGHTER IN ALL OF PARIS!"_ he bellowed. _"AND I WILL_ ** _NOT_** _FALL TO THE HANDS OF A PATHETIC INSECT LIKE YOU!"_

The villain's free hand suddenly lit up with that orange glow again, the attack so unexpected that he caught the heroine off-guard as he knocked her back a few feet. She recovered quickly, however, and ducked as his leg swung at her head.

Ladybug watched with observant eyes as the Challenger slammed his knuckles together, orange energy crackling around his gauntlets. _Only_ around his gauntlets.

Her suspicions were confirmed. She knew what to do now.

Letting the plan unfold in her head, the heroine braced herself as the villain started delivering a volley of punches that seemed to move simultaneously. She let out an exhale to compose herself, allowing her secondary aspect to guide her movements and match his speed.

 _BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!_

Each blow the Challenger threw at her was more intense than the last, but Ladybug blocked them all just as fiercely, negating his enormous strength with her own. Her eyes flickered around their surroundings, looking for something to further advance her plan, when she spotted the handcuffs she had dropped earlier on the ground. A small knowing smile crossed her face.

Victory was at hand.

 _"I'LL WIPE THAT GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!"_ he roared, hurling both of his fists straight at her.

And it was exactly the kind of opening she needed as she put her hands together, pushed them up between his arms, and deflected his hands away. Leaving him wide open.

The Challenger gaped in surprise as Ladybug twisted around to deliver a roundhouse kick straight to his abdomen, strong enough to knock him off his feet and the wind out of his lungs.

The heroine then charged, running at him at full speed as he continued to fall through the air. She used the momentum to hop onto his shoulders, letting power flow down into her legs, before launching herself off. The villain completed his crash to the ground as Ladybug sailed through the air, landing on one knee with a solid _thud_ right next to the handcuffs.

Quickly scooping the cuffs up in one hand, she casually stood up as the Challenger recovered, his glare becoming more frustrated. The heroine hid the cuffs from view while resting her free hand on her hip, a taunting grin on her lips.

And that was all it took to set the villain off again. He rushed at her at full throttle, charging up his gauntlets again and letting out a feral cry as he reached out an arm to grab her. At the last minute, however, she turned, swiftly locking the cuffs over his wrists and fastening them securely. She then tripped up his feet, sending him flipping into the air once, twice, before landing heavily on his back, incapacitated at last.

With his arms left sticking up awkwardly in the air, Ladybug yanked the gauntlets off his hands, wringing them like a wet dish towel before crumpling them into as little a ball as possible within her fingers. She then let it drop from her palms, the tainted butterfly fluttering out of it the minute it hit the ground, leaving the heroine to finally use her yo-yo to swiftly capture the corruption within its light.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," she whispered as she watched the purified insect fly off into the sky. She then threw the Lucky Charm high up in the air, calling out the healing spell.

As the swarm of ladybugs restored everything back to normal and Papillon's influence over the martial artist was relinquished, Ladybug looked down at her hands — at the power that ultimately helped her in the end — and smiled.

The specks of energy around her fingers danced in an almost delighted rhythm to her acceptance before slowly fading away into her palms. She could actually feel the power settle back into a free-flowing circulation throughout her entire being.

As if it had naturally been there from the very beginning.

"My… My Lady?"

Ladybug completely froze for a moment, realization dawning on her as she quickly turned around to face the shocked gaze of her partner.

Chat Noir had stood up after she had called the healing spell but had remained in place. And this time, he had witnessed everything.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, Ladybug gingerly approached her stunned friend, somehow afraid that she might scare him off if she moved too suddenly.

She stopped once she was only a few feet from him, her eyes pleading his for understanding as she smiled and held up a fist.

"Thanks for hanging in there, Chat Noir," she said. "A job well done as always, _minou_."

The feline hero's gaze flickered back and forth between her eyes and her outstretched fist, uncertain, before slowly reaching up to meet her fist with his own. A sheepish grin then crossed his face, immediately setting her at ease.

"I… should be thanking you," he replied as they withdrew their hands. His hand went up to scratch the back of his head, and his eyes were now shining with wonder. "You were _incredible_ , My Lady."

A faint hint of a blush rose on the heroine's cheeks, just below her mask, and she tried not to think too much about the sincerity in his tone.

"Don't be silly, kitty," she tried to play off with a poorly-disguised nervous chuckle. "I was only just—"

A sounding beep from both of their Miraculous abruptly cut her off. Ladybug's hand flew up to her ear while Chat Noir looked down at his ring. They both gasped when they saw the last paw pad flickering warningly.

"You'd better go, Chat Noir," Ladybug told him. "You're about to change back."

His eyes shot up to hers, conflicted. "But…"

She nodded knowingly. "I'll explain everything next time, _chaton_."

"Next time," he repeated with a nod. He then bowed, sweeping an arm dramatically across his waist. "Until then, My Lady."

She watched as he vaulted himself onto a nearby rooftop before jumping out of view.

"Until then," she echoed to herself.

* * *

"You were right, Tikki," Marinette said as she swiveled around in her desk chair. She held up her hands, willing her secondary aspect to come to the surface. She watched in fascination as the specks of energy appeared immediately, steadily circling her fingers in a spiral. She felt no fear at all. "I guess all I needed was some time."

"I knew you wouldn't give up on it, Marinette," the Kwami replied as she nuzzled her holder's cheek. "I'm really glad you didn't give up on it."

"So am I." Marinette's hand flew up to cup her tiny friend, the specks lighting up and dancing around Tikki upon contact. The Kwami giggled as the warmth tickled her body.

"I'm still a little confused though…" The girl gently pulled Tikki away from her face to look at her, her expression riddled with uncertainty.

"After rejecting it, this power remained silent. How come it only reacted to my emotions then when I was feeling helpless, when it felt like there was nothing I could do? It wouldn't really respond to something like that, would it?"

"That's how strongly you felt at the time," Tikki answered, "and it wasn't that you were feeling helpless, Marinette. It was your concern, your fear, and your anger for those who couldn't help themselves. Your protectiveness. The urge to help those in need. Like with that student and during the battle with Chat Noir. _That's_ what your secondary aspect reacted to the most."

"My… protectiveness?"

"That's right!" The Kwami flew up and laid her paws on the girl's nose. "Your concern for others and the urge to defend them… That's what determines the strength of your aspect, what helped you stand up to the Challenger. _What made you a worthy candidate for the Miraculous._ I'm really glad that I was partnered with someone like you, Marinette."

Feeling her heart overflow with warmth, Marinette grinned sheepishly as she cupped her fingers around the Kwami again, gently pulling her into a hug against her cheek.

"And I'm really glad I met you, Tikki," she replied before pulling back again in realization. "Wait, does this mean you know what kind of aspect I manifested now?"

Tikki giggled. "Yes! Your magically enhanced strength is only part of it. But your potential is an excellent medium for creation to express itself through you."

Marinette only cocked her head to the side, confused. "Um, what does that mean?"

"It means…" The Kwami giggled again. "…that things are going to be a lot more interesting from here on out."

* * *

 **I'll answer questions now. :)**


End file.
